Recently, I’ve been making myself go down to the local Barnes & Noble store in town to sit and write, and I noticed my word count almost tripled by doing this. As it turns out, when I’m not distracted by laundry, cleaning, and cooking, I can get a lot more done. Who knew?

I’ll try to be brief in this list of what I’m doing because it’s a lot. 🙂

I’ve had the honor of being asked to be a part of a boxed set with these amazing Regency authors!

This is due out June 7!

Click here to reserve your copy today!

The best part is that this is only $0.99! Click on the image above to find out more about the books in this boxed set.

I should finish the first draft of The Earl’s Wallflower Bride this week!

Due out Early July!

Click here to reserve your copy!

This is book 3 in the Marriage by Arrangement Series. His Wicked Lady is book 1. Her Devilish Marquess is book 2.

I won’t spoil it, but toward the end of this book, a plot twist came up that had me so excited that I was almost jumping up and down right in the Barnes & Noble cafe area. This is why I don’t plot. I get to come across unexpected twists, and it’s the most thrilling experience I get to have as a writer. Seriously, I did not see this particular ending coming. It’s much better than I would have thought possible.

The Emotionally Engaging Character is Done with Edits!

Click here to reserve your copy!

This is book 2 in the Writing Tips Series. 11 Tips for New Writers is book 1, and I will soon have 11 Tips for New Writers up on Amazon. I’ll put it up when I put the pre-order up for The Emotionally Engaging Character, which should be this weekend.

Remember all those blog posts I did about creating the emotionally engaging character? I put them into a book with some light revisions.

Next up, I’ll be looking at popular character tropes in stories.

I should be done with the first draft of The Marriage Agreement by June 15!

Due out August 7!

Click here to reserve your copy!

This is book 2 in the Pioneer Series. Wagon Trail Bride is book 1. Groom for Hire will be book 3.

Just like Wagon Trail Bride, I have to write scenes out of order. So every day I write in this book, I usually switch between three different scenes in the story, not sure where each will fit in the timeline. This book is like putting a puzzle together. I can see the individual pieces, but until I have enough of them, I can’t see the larger picture. But as it worked in Wagon Trail Bride, it’s also been working in this story, too, and I am happy with the story and how smoothly it plays out (once I get the scene in the right place).

The Accidental Mail Order Bride is almost 1/4 of the way through!

Due out September 4! (Not sure if I can make it sooner, but I’ll try.)

Click here to reserve your copy!

This is book 3 in the Chance at Love Series. The Convenient Mail Order Bride is book 1. The Mistaken Mail Order Bride is book 2. The Bargain Mail Order Bride will be book 4. I am looking into making a book 5 featuring Caleb (the orphan boy Caroline brings with her in book 2).

And the subplot with the murder of Carl Richie’s wife is going strong in this one. For all of you who wanted to see Carl suffer because of how he was in The Convenient Mail Order Bride, this is where he gets what’s been coming to him.

And as I promised, I will reveal Lydia Richie’s killer. Travis is going to be instrumental in it, which is why it has to be this book where it happens.

This book has been so much fun because I’ve been wanting to do a Beauty and the Beast type of story for years. Now I’m finally getting to do it, and it’s so much more exciting than I thought it’d be.

***

Those are the main books I’m currently working on. I do have a preview of what’s coming up in my To-Write Plan:

I’ll be starting a new Regency series once I finish up with The Earl’s Wallflower Bride. The series takes place in the same world the other Regency books do, so we’ll get to continue to see our favorite characters. Book 1 in this new series will be The Viscount’s Runaway Bride.

I’ll be continuing with the Chance at Love Series. I originally planned for this to be three books. It then became four. And now I believe it may go on to be at least a couple more because the dynamics between the characters have been surprisingly powerful. I really want to write Caleb’s story when he becomes an adult.

I will finish up the Pioneer Series with Groom for Hire once done with The Marriage Agreement.

Once I finish Groom for Hire, I want to write Shane’s Deal (which will be book 4 in the Montana Collection). Mitch’s Win is book 1. Boaz’s Wager is book 2. Patty’s Gamble is book 3. Shane’s Deal with finish the Montana Collection.

After I finish with Shane’s Deal, I plan to start a new historical western series. Sep (from Shotgun Groom) will finally get his story in His Auctioned Bride which will be book 1. I’m not sure what other characters we’ll see in this series, but I’ll do my best to bring in some of the Larsons. I have to see where the characters are in the timeline to see who is old enough to fit in.

So that’s a quick sneak peak ahead of what you can expect for the rest of this year and going into the next.

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About Ruth Ann Nordin

Ruth Ann Nordin mainly writes historical western romances and Regencies. From time to time, she branches out to contemporaries romances and other genres (such as science fiction thrillers). For more information, please go to www.ruthannnordin.com or check out https://ruthannnordinauthorblog.wordpress.com.

11 Responses to Updates on What I’m Doing

I enjoyed your blogs about the emotionally engaging character. There have been books that I thought had good plots but I just didn’t feel involved. I have read romances where I had know idea what the romantic leads found attractive in each other. I buy your books because of the characters. I find myself missing them after I am done reading the book. Your blogs gave me insight into why some characters stay with me long after I have finished the book and why other characters come across as bland and uninteresting.

First, I apologize for taking so long to answer you. I just got through finishing two books, and it was more intense than I expected.

Second, thank you! I wasn’t sure how many people would enjoy the posts I did not emotionally engaging characters. I knew a few would, but I did worry I’d bore most people who read this blog. 🙂

I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know you enjoy my characters. That really means a lot to me. I love every single character I write, and whatever they experience, I do, too. I guess for me, a book has no point unless I can get wrapped up in the character. They are the only reason I enjoy writing the story. For example, I wasn’t a fan of Regencies when I decided to write one. I did it because I wanted to branch out and try something different because I noticed my creativity had taken a nosedive from doing so many historical westerns (a genre I love as a reader). Surprisingly, once I figured out who my characters were, I fell in love with Regencies. (I still love historical westerns the most, though.) It’s the characters in the Regencies (especially the heroes at White’s) who keep me wanting to write more. I learned a lot more from writing Regencies about why characters are so important than I did from writing any other genre. It was definitely an eye opening experience. 🙂

Hi Dear, i have been thinking about writing to you for a long time. in a few words, please take my words for what they are… positive thoughts. i have been reading your books since i got my kindle a few years ago. the first books i read where just wonderful, not just stories but great charachters and insights. but lately the books are so shallow and predictable… maybe its time to stop a bit and reconnect with your self? thanks for wonderful moments

I wonder if what you’re noticing is that there are only so many plots and character “types” a writer can work with. I do find some of the same character types and plot types that emerge after writing fifty romances. I do strive to make each story fresh, but I’ve also noticed that there’s only so many new angles I can really take in order to fit in the romance guidelines. Every story has to end happily. Whenever I have strayed from the usual and expected plot point, a lot of people don’t like it, so I have been tailoring some of the plot points to fall within what the majority of people expect. Otherwise, I run the risk of disappointing them. There are a few people (probably like you) who enjoy it when I go in a different direction (say like the series I did where the men had no women on their planet and went to Earth to find their wives), but unfortunately, those books don’t sell well enough to keep working on.

There’s probably a mix of what you’re noticing, and there might even be something else I’m missing.

I do appreciate your comments. Thanks for taking the time to write to me!

I really need to catch up on your blogs – especially the emotionally engaging characters. As always, reading about your writing schedule makes my jaw drop, lol. And that you can write at B&N…wow! I wish we had a bookstore near where I live, but the closest thing is a coffee shop. I tried taking a laptop there once but there was too much noise. Not horribly so, but enough that I found it too distracting. Maybe I’ll try taking a notebook to the library – until I get my laptop back in a couple of weeks. I seriously need to make you my productivity role model. 😀

Don’t worry about trying to catch up with my blog posts. I am just now getting to answering comments! There’s always too much to do and so little time to do it. 🙂

Writing at B&N is the only thing that works for me. It does help that it’s quiet in there. Not many people talk loudly in a bookstore, but they will in a coffee shop. I just can’t get much done at home, no matter how hard I try. Oh! Another place that actually works is my car. Sometimes I’ll drive to the park and just sit and write. Maybe that would be a good place (as long as your car is comfortable enough to write in).

I’m so excited about all these books. I can’t wait to read the Beauty and the Beast story. I’ve always loved all the different versions of that story, and I can definitely see how this book would fit in with that. I love the “Beast” character from his appearance in our other stories.